Spicy Korean Beef Bowl (Printable)
Tender beef in spicy-sweet sauce with rice and fresh vegetables for a vibrant, satisfying dish.
# What You Need:
→ Beef
01 - 1.1 lbs beef sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced
02 - 1 tbsp cornstarch
→ Marinade & Sauce
03 - 3 tbsp soy sauce
04 - 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
05 - 1 tbsp brown sugar
06 - 1 tbsp sesame oil
07 - 2 tsp rice vinegar
08 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
10 - 1 tbsp honey
11 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
→ Rice
12 - 2 cups jasmine or short-grain white rice
13 - 4 cups water
14 - ½ tsp salt
→ Vegetables & Garnishes
15 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
16 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
17 - 1 cup kimchi
18 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced
19 - 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
20 - 1 sheet nori, cut into thin strips (optional)
# How To Make It:
01 - Rinse rice under cold water until clear. Combine rice, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes.
02 - In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, gochujang, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, honey, and red pepper flakes to form the marinade.
03 - Toss beef slices in cornstarch until evenly coated. Add half of the marinade, mix well, and let marinate for 10 minutes, reserving the remaining marinade.
04 - Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add marinated beef and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until browned and just cooked through. Pour in reserved marinade and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until sauce slightly thickens.
05 - Fluff cooked rice and divide evenly among four bowls. Arrange beef, carrot, cucumber, and kimchi atop the rice.
06 - Sprinkle scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and optional nori strips over the bowls. Serve immediately.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- It comes together in under 40 minutes but tastes like you've been cooking all day.
- The spicy-sweet sauce coats everything so perfectly that you'll find yourself scraping the bowl clean.
- You can swap the beef for tofu or chicken and get the same incredible flavor without changing a thing.
02 -
- If your sauce is too thin after cooking the beef, turn the heat up a touch and let it reduce for another minute or two instead of panicking and adding cornstarch slurry—patience thickens it just right.
- The vegetables stay crisp and cool against the hot beef and sauce, so don't be tempted to cook them; raw is the whole point.
03 -
- If you have access to a proper Korean gochujang, buy it—it's worth the trip to an Asian market because the difference in depth is noticeable and real.
- Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2 minutes if you buy them raw; it wakes up their nuttiness in a way that changes the whole bowl.